In the away encounter with Besiktas
in Turkey,
United came away with a 0-0 result which virtually ensured passage to the next
round. It came at the cost of a serious injury to Michael Bridges which ended
his season. United could now boast the following team: Nigel Martyn; Danny Mills, Michael Duberry,
Lucas Radebe, Ian Harte;
David Batty, EirikBakke,
Olivier Dacourt, Jason Wilcox; Michael Bridges and
Harry Kewell, but all of them were confined to the
treatment room! In Istanbul there
had been a welcome return for Jonathan Woodgate, who had taken over from
injured skipper Lucas Radebe, but other enforced
changes were Jacob Burns for Olivier Dacourt and Paul
Robinson deputised for Nigel Martyn, who were also
out injured, while Michael Bridges was reinstated into the team due to Alan
Smith’s suspension. Besiktas were similarly without
their best player Pascal Nouma with SulunYasin deputising for the
Frenchman.

There was very little to excite as far as the match was
concerned but the priceless point put one foot into the second phase as far as
Leeds were concerned so few would have worried about the execution as the end
justified the means. Turkish football was supposed to have improved in the
previous decade but as far as Leeds and others were
concerned they would not have lost much sleep. In Jonathan Woodgate, and to a
lesser extent Danny Mills, United had a central defence that gave nothing away
and it was apparent from the outset that at least a point was there for the
taking, and so it proved. They possibly had hopes of more than the one point as
Michael Bridges, who was trying to create an impression on his comeback, looked
as though he might have come up trumps before he became the latest victim of
the United injury jinx after only twenty-three
minutes. He had been lively and threatening and had he been able to stay on
United would certainly have improved on the lone shot that they produced for
the entire match.

The two teams’ recent form could not have been more
contrasting with United having scored thirteen goals in winning their last
three games while Besiktas had conceded a dozen in
three straight defeats. With a weekend clash with Galatasaray
looming, local opinion was they were giving that game more importance than the
European Cup competition which they knew they couldn’t win. After the 6-0
mauling Leeds had given them in the Leeds
leg Besiktas were hoping to salvage some pride, but
their prospects did not look good as United almost scored after just five
minutes. An Ian Harte free-kick was nodded on by Mark
Viduka and EirikBakke seemed certain to score but he could not get
sufficient power into his shot and the keeper saved with ease. HavutkuTayfur brought down Mark Viduka and from Ian Harte’s cross
Dominic Matteo got in a header which drifted wide. KahveciNihat crossed for OzdilekMehmet to try a header
but it, too, was off target. After twenty minutes Ian Harte
had a free-kick that went close but by now United were starting to claim
superiority over a side that showed no improvement on their woeful previous
performance.

There was a brilliant interception by Jonathan Woodgate to
prevent OzdilekAhmet’s
cross reaching the well-placed AhmetDursun as Besiktas stepped up the
pace. After twenty-three minutes Michael Bridges was writhing in agony with an
ankle injury after falling awkwardly and had to be replaced by Darren Huckerby when he was stretchered
off. The injury proved to be a serious one and after a long lay-off he was
never the same player again and a very promising career which had already seen
him capped at England Under-21 level was virtually ended.

AhmetDursun
tried a dipping shot which went close and Jonathan Woodgate again came to the
rescue as he robbed SulunYasin
at the expense of a corner. Paul Robinson tipped a clever lofted back-heel from
MiroslavKarhan over the
bar. Danny Mills was able to stop KahveciNihat en route to goal and Lee Bowyer brought down OzdilekMehmet as United had to
survive some pressure. Paul Robinson was twice alert to take the ball off AhmetDursun while at the other
end Mark Viduka shot into the side netting and
honours were even at half-time. KahveciNihat was playing well for Besiktas
and AhmetDursan sent a
header wide after he had set him up. Jacob Burns then brought down AhmetDursan for KahveciNihat to fire straight
into the wall, and later the same player ballooned the
ball over when well placed. The next half hour was a mind-numbing void with few
efforts on either goal until with a last roll of the dice Besiktas
forced two corners but were unable to capitalise on them as the game came to
its merciful conclusion.